IUD Mirena (Hormone) to IUD Paragard (Hormone-Free Copper)
End of Mirena Side Effects
I’ve now used the IUD Mirena for about 1566 days (4.35 years). Here is an update on my IUD Mirena Side Effects
Unpredictable severe mood swings that sneak up on you (incredible short day-long fits/periods of rage, frustration, anxiety, or depression; exacerbating existing underlying psychological problems)*
Amenorrhea (started within years 2-3 of IUD use)
Bloating, and significant engorgement of my breasts toward the end of my use (I’ve increased my breast size from an A cup to a C cup along my college years, and I was afraid I was pregnant…obviously, I’m not)
PMS and Mood Swings of unpredictable onset and length is the largest issue that I’ve had with the IUD Mirena. For the first year of the IUD Mirena I dealt with severe depression, and I was also faced with my traumatic past of child sexual abuse with no emotional and financial support from my parents to deal with this. At this first year I was considering suicide, and found it difficult to participate in school to be successful (I did it, but it was an incredible challenge to be motivated). If it wasn’t for my best friend dragging me to community psychological counseling, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome that year of depression and graduate nursing, and now be on my way to officially commission into the USAF as a nurse.
The PMS symptoms have been getting more erradic and worse towards the end of my IUD Mirena use, so I’m wondering if I’m going through the Mirena Crash while it’s still within my uterus (I’m not sure, not enough evidence out there to back it up, but others have attested to this)
With this, I have decided to switch from the IUD Mirena to the IUD Paragard, because it was such an effective and reliable form of contraception. I’ll be sure to document that thoroughly, as I know there isn’t much information to reflect the successful statistics of the IUD Paragard. I am also praying that I don’t become one of the people that undergoes the rare complications that come with the IUD as I’m deciding to to prolong the use of the IUD, just opting for the hormone-free version
Preparations I’ve made for the IUD Paragard (I have decided to go the eco-friendly chemical-free route)
Menstrual Cup (Diva-Cup)
Cloth Menstrual Pads via Etsy (4-5 Overnight pads 1-2 Regular, larger pads, 6 Intralabial Pads for heavy period days)
Midol Complete pills (pre-purchased and sitting in my drawer) for menstrual cramps
Hot water container for menstrual cramps
Downloaded a menstrual cycle tracking application (Clue for my IPhone 5s) to track my PMS and actual period…it will be AMAZING to have a normal and healthy period again (it kind of freaks me out that I haven’t been having my period at all…I know, call me weird or masochistic, but I just feel like I’d want my body to go through the healthy natural cycles that it’s meant to go through)
My removal/insertion appointment is going to be this Thursday 18 May 1030, I am planning to take 800mg of Ibuprofen about 30 minutes prior. This is going to be a unique appointment in that my strings climbed up into my uterus around the date of August 27, 2013 (about 3 years ago), when I had an appointment with my OBGYN to reassure me that my IUD Mirena was still in place.
As a result, they will be needing to remove the IUD Mirena a little differently (Here’s a YouTube video that I’ve found that demonstrates this well https://youtu.be/TAmL4WN3P54)…On top of placing the IUD Paragard in.
Yes, I’m nervous as hell, but also looking forward to it. I’m honestly looking forward to the cramping and bleeding…I’ll take that over the psychological torment that the IUD Mirena has put me through. Also…I’m pretty excited to start using the DivaCup and home-made menstrual cloth pads! Women these days are taking control of their bodies, and revolutionizing the way we think about periods, it’s absolutely amazing. I’ve been watching multiple videos from Precious Stars Pads and Amy Nix on YouTube, and they are such a delight.
We’ll see how this goes. I’ll keep you all updated, knowing there’s not much of this out there.